Electronic wireless devices such as mobile telephones, tablets, set-top boxes and gateway devices are provided with at least one antenna and corresponding wireless functional components for processing signals received from and/or transmitted via the antenna.
A wireless module including wireless functional components for wireless applications may be integrated into an electronic device in several ways. In some cases wireless functional components are provided directly on the main circuit board, while in other cases wireless functional components are provided on a separate circuit board. Interconnection elements are provided to enable the transition of radio frequency signals between the two circuit boards. Providing the wireless functional components on a separate board has the advantage that any modifications or repairs to the wireless operation of the electronic device do not necessitate modification of the main circuit board. However, insertion losses may occur at the interconnection.
Another problem encountered in electronic wireless devices is the presence of an increasing number of electronic components in an increasingly reduced space. An antenna is an important functional element of such wireless devices for effective transmission and reception of radio frequency waves. The optimum place for positioning an antenna is at the front of the wireless device. However the presence of the many other electronic components at the front of a wireless device creates obstacles to the radiation of radio waves and impairs the performance of the antenna. Moreover in some configurations large areas of ground clearance need to be provided on the circuit board to provide appropriate grounding of the antenna. Because of the presence of the other electronic components it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the required space for ground clearance of antennas at the front side of the circuit board.
The present invention has been devised with the foregoing in mind.